Wrench.



J. EIFEL.

WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED APR. a. 1916.

' Patented Oct. 30, 1917.

JOSEPH EIFEL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented one. so, 1917.

Original application filed June 28, 1912, Serial No. 706,079. Divided and this application filed April 8,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Josnrrr'EIrnL, a citi' zen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wrenches, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to wrenches in general and more particularly to wrenches having variable aw openings, and has special reference to the provision of an improved wrench embodying the most valuable features of wrenches of a number of difierent' types known to me, and avoiding the'de fects thereof.

The principal objects of my present invention are the provision of a wrench having jaws one of which may be rapidly moved relatively to the other, a wrench thus characterized which will not tend to work open in handling, thus requiring repeated settings or adjustments during a single operation, one which will have small crushing effect tending to abrade, flatten or otherwise disfigure articles upon which it is used; the provision of HDiHIPI'OVQCl plier form wrench adapted for wide separation of the jaws without concurrent wideopening of the handles and one wherein relatively slight manipulation is required either in moving the article acted upon or in obtaining a fresh holdthereupon; the provision of a; wrench wherein the parallelism of the jaws may be readily maintained irrespective of the size of the object operated upon; the provision of a wrench wherein the number of contact points of the jaws thereof with the article operated upon may be increased and generally to provide an improved andmore efficient type of wrench than is at this time available, together with such further and additional objects as may hereinafter appear.

Certain embodiments of devices involving, in part, my present improvements, are shown in my co-pending application for Letters Patent, Serial No. 706079, filed June 26, 1912, of which the present application is a division.

In gaining the objects above mentioned, as well as certain further benefits and. advantages to be below pointed out, I have provided the constructions illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein I Figure lis a plan view illustrative; of my invention embodied in a wrenchwherein, as

Serial No. 89,958.

shown, adjustable pliers having jaws which are variable not only in their degree of separation, but also in the degree of angularity of their operative relation to each other, are provided. 7

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the wrench of Fig. l, partly in sect-ion taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l; 7

Figs. 3 and d are elevational views of modified forms of jaws applicable tofthe wrenches of the present type."

Referring now more particularly to the device of Figs. 1 and 2 it will be observed that I have here illustrated a wrench embodying my invention in the form of a pair of pliers, wherein the gripping faces of the jaws are not only variable in their parallelism relatively to each other, but may be arranged in any required degree of angularity between parallelism and a right angle relatively to the longitudinal axis of the operating handles, and by suitable modification of their position, or the use of the aws illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 may readily be adapted for one or more of the following purposes, an adjustable wrench, adjustable pliers, parallel pliers, adjustable pipe tongs, wire cutter, etc. In this embodiment of my invention it will be seen upon examination of the drawings, that in the arrangement of jaws, instead of employing the direct engagement between the segment and rack disclosed in the original application, I here interpose gear wheel whereby certain angnlarities of ad ustment are made possible, all as now to be described.

It will be seen that in my present con struction I employ a shank 10 provided at one end with a. handle 11 and at the opposite end with a jaw 12, pivoted thereto at 12- and slotted as indicated at 13 for the reception of the shank 1% which is provided with a jaw 15 and engages by means of a pin 19' a slot 23 in said jaw 12, a roller bearing 2% being interposed between the jaw 12 and the shank 14. On the pivot pin 12 is ro-' tatably mounted a pinion having a toothed periphery 22 engaging a rack 16 formed on the shank 14:, and likewise engaging a segmental rack 22 formed on the, operating lever 17, which has pivotal engagement with the shank 10 as indicated at 18, and is slidable relatively thereto by means of the slot 20 in which said pin 18 is movably carried...

For normally preventing" movement of the jaw 12 relatively to the sl being bifurcated and the bifurcated portions thereof being car -ed on the pin holding the handles 11 and 17 in the relative position shown I employ a pawl if)? pivoted at 38 in the handle 17 and normally engaging the ratchet 39, such pawl being provided with an extension 3? against which the spring e0 acts in order to maintain the ei'igagement with the ratchet, a sliding block being employed to release the engagement when desired. I

In the operation of the device above de scribed, it will be observed that movingthe slide 38 disen ages the pawl 3'? from the ratchet 39 and allows the handles 17 and 11 to be separated. Upon lowering the handle 17 obliquely to the left, and pressing upwardly upon the lever '78, thereby disengaging the handles 1'? and 10 from the pinion and the jaw 12 respectively, the aws 1:2 and 15 may be varied in the amount of their separation, whether they be parallel as shwn or angularly disposed, and the faces and 81 may be formed with any desired degree of angularity from the parallelism shownupto a right angle. Upon releasing pressure upon the lever '78 the toothed portion 7'? thereof will again onage with the toothed portion 76 of the jaw 2 fixing it in position relatively to said lever 10, and upon the lever 1'? being moved to the position shown, the toothed segment 22 thereof will engage the pinion in turn acting upon the rack 16 and moving the jaw 15 toward the jaw 12.

From the foregoing description of the construction and operation 01 the present embodiment of my invent-ion, it will be ob served that the type here disclosed is pro vided with means whereby the aws may be instantly opened and closed to a limited extent for shifting relatively to the work, thereby making it feasible to utilize notches such as 505l for the purpose of en aging the corner", as well as faces of nuts, giving a much firmer hold thereupon. it. will thus be observed that by the use of the em bodiments of my invention illustrated I am able where it is desirable to engage a nut on parallel faces, on opposed corners, or on a corner opposed to a face, with more holds and thus with firmer engagement than it is possible with any form of a wrench known to me. Since the pressure applied upon closing the wrench may be readily varied, it is obvious that the pressure applied to any nut, pipe or other object worked upon may be gaged to suit conditions with the greatest comprising, in combination, a pair of Q 1,24 see of facility. Gther advantages of my present invention will be apparent to those whti are skilled in the art to which it pertains.

Havin thus described my invention and illus ated its use, what 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A device i the character described comprising, in combination, a pair of coopera ting jaws and pivoted operating levers therefor, and connections, disengageable by manual means, etween each of said jaws and its coeperating lever.

2. A device of the character described cooperating aws, operating levers therefor raving means for engagement whereby they are movable pivotally and lineally relatively to each other, one of said jaws being movable relatively to its lever and having means for toothed engagement therewith whereby the extent or the jaw opening may be varied.

3. A device of the character described comprising, in comb' ion, a pair of cooperating jaws, opei ting levers therefor having means for engagement whereby they are movable pivotally and lineally relatively to each other, one of said jaws beingmovable relatively to its lever and having means for toothed engagement therewith whereby the extent of the jaw opening may be varied, and means for normally preventing relative lineal movement of the levers.

A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a pair of cooperating jaws, pivoted operating levers therefor, one of said jaws being operatively movable relatively to its lever and both the lever and the jaw being provided with toothed portions, an intermediate toothed member engaging said toothed portions whereby the relative position of the jaws may be varied, and means for normally holding the jaws in predetermined operative relation to each other. ,7

5. A, device 01": the character described comprising, in combination, a pair of 00- operating jaws, operating levers therefor having means for enga.gementwhereby they are movable pivotally and lineally rela 'vely to each other, one of said jaws being mow able relatively to its lever and both the lever and the jaw being provided with toothed portions, an intermediate toothed member engaging said toothed portions whereby the relative position of the jaws may be varied, and means for normally holding the jaws in predetermined operative relation to each other.

6. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a pair of 00- operating jaws, operating levers therefor having means for engagement whereby they are movable pivotally and lineally relat-lvij" to each other, one of said aws being movable relatively to its lever and both menace the lever and the being provided with toothed portions, an intermediate. toothed member engaging said toothed. portions whereby the relative position of the jaws may be varied, and means for normally holding the jaws in predetermined opera tive relation to v each other including a toothed portion on one of said jaws, and a third leverprovided with a toothed portion engaging said last-mentioned toothed portion.

7. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a pair of co operating jaws, operating levers therefor having means for engagement whereby they are movable pivotally and lineally relatively to each other, one of said jaws being movable relatively to its lever and both the lever and the jaw being provided with toothed portions, an intermediate toothed member engaging said toothed portions whereby the relative position of the jaws may be varied, and means for normally holding the jaws in predetermined operative relation to each other including a toothed portion on one of said jaws and a third lever provided with a toothed portion engaging said last mentioned toothed portion and a spring for maintaining such engagement.

8. A device of the character described, comprising in combination, a pair of cooperating jaws and pivoted operating levers therefor, both of said jaws being movable relatively to their respective levers, one of said levers and its jaw being both provided with toothed portions and an intermediate toothed member engaging said toothed portions.

9. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a pair of cooperating jaws, pivoted operating levers therefor, one of said jaws being operatively movable relatively to its lever and both the lever and the jaw being provided with means for engagement, an intermediate member engaging said means whereby the relative position of the jaws may be varied, and means for normally holding the jaws in predetermined operative relation to each other. 1

10. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a pair of co operating jaws, operating levers therefor having means for engagement whereby they are movable pivotally and lineally relatively to each other, one of said jaws being movable relatively to its lever and both the lever and the jaw being provided with means for engagement, an intermediate member engaging said means whereby the relative position of the jaws may be varied, and

means for normally holding the jaws in predetermined operative relation, to each other. 11. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a pair of 00-. operating awe. and pivoted operating levers therefor, and connections, disengageableby manual means, betweeneach of said jaws and its coiiperating lever, whereby the width of opening of said jaws may be varied without changein angular, relationshipv of the levers with respect to. each other by varying the connection of either lever with respect to its cooperating. jaw.

12A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a pair of cooperating jaws, toothed portions operatively connected with each of said jaws, an operating lever pivotally attached to one of said jaws, and a second operating lever pivotally attached to said first lever, each of said levers having a toothed portion operatively connected therewith adapted to engage one of said first-mentioned toothed portions.

13. A device of the character described comprising in combination, a pair of cooperating jaws, a pair of operating levers for said jaws and means, disengageable by manual means, for varying the angular relation between each lever and its cooperating jaw.

let. A device of the character described comprising in combination, a pair of cooperating jaws and pivoted operating levers therefor, both of said jaws having connections, disengageable bymanual means, with their respective levers, including a variable gear connection between one of said levers and its jaw whereby the position of said jaw relatively to its lever may be varied.

15. A device of the character described, comprising in combination a pair of cooperating jaws, a segmental toothed portion integrally connected to one of said jaws, and an operating lever having a toothed portion operatively connected thereto adapted to en gage said segmental toothed portions in a plurality of relative positions whereby the angular relation between said lever and said jaw may be varied.

16. A device of the character described, comprising in combination, a pair of cooperating jaws adapted to slide transversely relatively to each other, a pair of operating levers, connections between said levers and said jaws whereby movement of said levers toward each other moves said jaws toward each other, and means, disengageable by manual means, for varying the angular relation between each lever and its cooperating jaw.

17. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a pair of co6perating jaws slidable relatively to each other transversely of the device, pivoted operating levers therefor, and connections, disengageable by manual means, between each of said jaws and its cooperating lever.

18. A device of the character described,

1,2ee,ese

comprising in combination, a pair of cop- In testimony whereol I have hereunto eratmg JHWS shdable relatlvely to each other slgned my name 1n the presence 01: the two 1o transversely of the dense and pivoted open subsorlbing Witnesses.

sting levers therelor, eeoh of said aws be- JOSEPH EEFEL. lng movable relatlvely 10 ns lever and hm ing means for manually releasable engage- Witnesses:

ment therewith whereby the extent of the DONALD O. WILLIAMS,

jaw opening may be varied. ELDSDALE ELLIS.

Series of this patena may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. U. 

